I finally got my gorgeous puppy Kya and she's been doing great. She eats heaps. Last night I tried giving her some roast chicken and she loved it so we gave her just a little bit more. Tonight my boyfriend had a roast chicken dinner and she was whining for him to give her some and she just seems to be addicted to the stuff, she's turned her nose up to her regular food and whines every time there is no chicken in her bowl...

I know I should ignore this behaviour and she'll go back to eating her regular food, but I’m worried about her being hungry...

Help!

coconut

13th June 2007, 02:40 PM

If she is hungry she will eat! Freddie does this every so often to see if i will give in and give him something nicer! so just be firm and hold out for her eating her regular food

Elsiegirl

13th June 2007, 02:43 PM

We had the same problem...we have to make chicken atleast once a week now so that Elsie gets her fix...We put the chicken in the food processor and then mix it with her dry food-just enough to cover the little pieces-its our little trick-I used to put chucks in with her food but she pushed all the dry food out of her bowl and ate all the chicken-solved that problem with the food processor!! good luck!!

laurenlyn1

13th June 2007, 02:50 PM

she won't starve herself. when she gets hungry she will eat. i give Brady chicken every so often and he loves it. i usually put something a little tastier in his food for him, because who would want to eat just play corn flakes everyday for every meal? that's how i see what the eat all the time. i like to add a little variety. good luck!

Karlin

13th June 2007, 06:17 PM

You also do not want to overfeed. Some puppies are gluttons though usually they will regulate their own intake -- weight problems tend to come after age 1 but not always. I'd stick with a standard measure of food and deduct treats from what you are feeding overall. Be very cautious with chicken as it can be fatty when fried or roasted or if it has skin on. Dogs eating too much fatty food can get pancreatitis and become seriously ill very quickly.

I am definitely an advocate however of adding more interest to dog food then just giving kibble every day. If yu want, take a couple of small bits of chicken, mince finely, and mix with a meal. You can also add other fresh meats, fruit and veg. There are a lot of threads about different approaches to diet as well as info on feeding in the Library section. :)

What you don't want is for a puppy to become manipulative and refuse to eat until you start feeding something new and interesting all the time. :thmbsup: That's why I suggest mixing nice additions like chicken well into the food so that the dog can't pick out this and not eat that.

A lot of breeders in the UK and Ireland (don't know about the US!) raise puppies on fresh cooked chicken and I have found my two from the breeder who did this are indeed, addicted to chicken. Jaspar will sit and bark at a fresh chicken sitting on the counter and look at me meaningfully. :rolleyes:

vikki

13th June 2007, 06:35 PM

when we first let our pup try a few bits of chicken in her kibble she would eat the chicken and leave the kibble. the kibble would stay in the bowl for hours untill she would eat it. I was worried as you about her starving and or just not liking her kibble. it was suggested here that I let her have her food for a bit of time, then take it away after a certian amount of time. they soon learn to eat when the bowl is put down. I think it was a combo of that and her just wanting more food, that now most of the time she eats her entire meal. we do still sprinkle just a bit of either chicken or turkey on top for her, we just try to make sure it is a small amount.

Linda'nQuincy

14th June 2007, 06:49 AM

We also add a bit of meat to Quincy's kibble evvery night. We were feeding him small ground beef balls "nuked" in the microwave and stirred into his kibble with powdered vitamins. Also did the same thing with small chunks of cooked chicken. Last week I bought a lb. of ground turkey, thinkling it had less fat than beef or chicken. I made small balls and froze them Each evening i defrost one in the microwave, still maintaing a lot of pink in the meat with the juice and mix it in with the kibble. Mr. Q. gobbles it down immediately! He then gets 2 chicken rounds--purchased in a tub--for dessert. He has never enjoyed his dinner so much. I also add small bits of veggies that we might be eating for dinner...........